This event addresses how JCPenney, the department-store chain, has bounced back after losing both customers and sales following a failed repositioning exercise. View Summary

This event addresses how JCPenney, the department-store chain, has bounced back after losing both customers and sales following a failed repositioning exercise.

Ditching discounts and promotions in favour of everyday low prices did not play well with the company's core clientele, who abandoned its stores in droves.

Returning to business as usual was not an option, however, as shoppers were making ever greater use of digital tools on the path to purchase.

In readjusting its priorities, JCPenney honed in on the idea of ?'fit', and helping buyers find exactly the right garment for them in terms of style, colour, shape, price, and so on.

To extend this concept across both online and offline channels, the retailer focused on three core tasks relevant to almost every shopper: find it, get it and make it worth it.

2

Harrods taps the mobile-gaming addiction

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Stephen Whiteside, Event Reports, NRF Big Show, January 2015

This event report discusses how Harrods, the iconic department store in London, is using gamification to engage consumers. View Summary

This event report discusses how Harrods, the iconic department store in London, is using gamification to engage consumers.

Mobile gaming helped the chain reach out to a new generation of younger buyers, who are generally more engaged with smartphones than TV spots and glossy print ads.

Launching 'Stiletto Wars'? - a game using a similar model to Candy Crush Saga - to coincide with the unveiling of its new Shoe Heaven department let Harrods engage a more youthful audience, secure widespread PR coverage, drive social media traffic and beat sales targets.

Another game introduced in the run up to Christmas in 2014 proved less successful, but offered valuable lessons about the role of marketing support and what fuels digital virality.

This case study demonstrates how Canadian Tire, a retailer of automotive, leisure and home products, used an extreme yet easy to understand scenario to show that its car batteries will improve driving during the winter. View Summary

This case study demonstrates how Canadian Tire, a retailer of automotive, leisure and home products, used an extreme yet easy to understand scenario to show that its car batteries will improve driving during the winter.

Many products and services required to prepare a car for the Canadian winter are well-established but batteries are seen as a grudge purchase, bought when the previous one breaks, rather than a proactive, preventative one that will improve winter driving.

To provoke the question of whether a driver's battery could last the winter, Canadian Tire demonstrated that its MotoMaster Eliminator AGM battery could work to power a vehicle made entirely of ice that was also fully driveable.

This experiment was conveyed through TV spots, online ads and videos, social media and events.

The campaign increased sales of the MotoMaster Eliminator AGM battery by 70%, also lifting sales for the entire Canadian Tire battery category by 24.6%.

This case study explains how Canadian Tire, the automotive, sports and DIY retailer, tackled a sales decline with the creation of an online catalogue to provide inspiration for its customers. View Summary

This case study explains how Canadian Tire, the automotive, sports and DIY retailer, tackled a sales decline with the creation of an online catalogue to provide inspiration for its customers.

Several years ago the company had changed its marketing strategy by replacing the long-standing printed catalogue, which it had mailed to customers twice a year, with digital flyers.

This changed the company's sales patterns, driving discount purchases over the weekend, functional purchases at other times, and losing Canadian Tire's place in inspirational DIY shopping.

In response, it created an online catalogue, building on its printed heritage but taking a new approach with seasonal updates providing inspiration for DIY projects, including high quality editorial content and personal stories collected through social media.

Catalogue page views reached 4m within six months - an average of 15 pages per user - leading to Canadian Tire's best ever sales period (+2.9% growth over the previous year).

5

Target finds B2B brand purpose in TV production

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Geoffrey Precourt, Event Reports, ANA Brand Masters, February 2015

This event report demonstrates how Target, the retailer, has extended its sustainability efforts to cover the advertising production process. View Summary

This event report demonstrates how Target, the retailer, has extended its sustainability efforts to cover the advertising production process.

The firm has allied with EcoSet, a consulting group that works with operators in advertising, television and feature-film production.

By coordinating the work of its agencies, and their production companies, with EcoSet before a shoot begins, Target can maximize the use of reusable materials.

After a shoot has finished, EcoSet completes a clean-up exercise aiming to minimize the amount of material that is sent to landfill.

Such an effort has kept hundreds of thousands of items out of landfill, alongside composting food and plant waste and recycling plastics, paper, glass and metal – as well as donating materials to schools, community groups, artists and theaters.

This event report focuses on efforts by Macy's, the department-store chain, to reflect the changing face – and shape – of female consumers in America. View Summary

This event report focuses on efforts by Macy's, the department-store chain, to reflect the changing face – and shape – of female consumers in America.

Traditionally, the category convention has involved using thin, blonde, blue-eyed models, but this is not reflective of the US customer base today.

As such, Macy's is seeking to mirror the fuller figure that is now much admired among both multicultural and millennial audiences alike.

One example of how the firm is adapting its approach comes with the introduction of a product line from Thalía Sodi, the Mexican telenovela and recording star, who represents a very different kind of brand ambassador from the norm.

7

150 years of never standing still: John Lewis adapts to the digital revolution

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Joseph Clift, Event Reports, IAB Engage, October 2014

This event report explains how John Lewis, the UK department store chain, approaches innovation and digital across marketing and shopper experience. View Summary

This event report explains how John Lewis, the UK department store chain, approaches innovation and digital across marketing and shopper experience.

John Lewis is well-known for its big budget TV ads which have a strong emotional pull and are fully integrated with digital campaigns.

This integration of digital and traditional advertising is part of the company's aim to be an omnichannel retailer, with seamless experiences across online and in-store shopping.

'Click and collect' services, in-store WiFi and 'iPad bars' - allowing people to access online-only products in-store - are just some examples of how this aim is being realised.

8

Westfield dissects 'Pinterest Unplugged': Bringing a human touch to the digital world

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Barbara Messer, Event Reports, ADMA Global Forum, July 2014

This event report discusses an experiential campaign created by Westfield in the United States to capitalise on the synergies that exist between Westfield's target audience and the profile of Pinterest users. View Summary

This event report discusses an experiential campaign created by Westfield in the United States to capitalise on the synergies that exist between Westfield's target audience and the profile of Pinterest users.

Several business units within Westfield Group came together to create 'Pinterest Unplugged', a large-scale installation that replicates the Pinterest experience in the real world.

The installation was originally created to help launch Westfield UTC in San Diego in November 2012, but has subsequently been activated in other markets, driving cost-efficiency.

9

Macy's: Yes, Virginia The Musical

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Cannes Creative Lions, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2014

This case study describes how Macy's, the US department store chain, built an emotional connection with families during the holiday season by creating a character that appealed to families, to overcome sales stagnation. View Summary

This case study describes how Macy's, the US department store chain, built an emotional connection with families during the holiday season by creating a character that appealed to families, to overcome sales stagnation.

The chain was challenged by a difficult economic context and the decline of department store relevance, and wanted to nourish an emotional connection to bolster sales.

A character was created based on a long standing tradition of mailing letters to Santa from Macy's stores and over several years a range of material including print ads, TV ads, an animated 30 minute movie, placement in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and mobile apps.

The campaign produced high levels of engagement with the character, improvement in brand equity and consistent increases in sales over several holiday seasons.

10

Kmart: Ship my pants

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Effie Worldwide, Gold, North America Effies 2014

This case study explains how Kmart, the discount department store chain, solved an out-of-stock inventory problem in the US with online shopping and a humourous ad tag line. View Summary

This case study explains how Kmart, the discount department store chain, solved an out-of-stock inventory problem in the US with online shopping and a humourous ad tag line.

Recurrent out-of-stock problems were damaging the chain's reputation, but a complete logistics overhaul was not possible: a marketing solution had to be found instead.

The 'store to home' service, which allowed in-store customers to order products to be delivered to their home for free, already existed but was not properly promoted.

A humourous ad was created - "Ship My Pants" - launched exclusively on YouTube and supported by social media, and soon attracted media attention for its audacious message.

The YouTube video went viral, with over 15 million views in 8 days, resulting in an improved 'favourability' rating on YouTube, positive mentions on social media and an uplift in monthly sales.

11

Argos: Name our baby

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Josh Roth, Warc Prize for Social Strategy, Entrant, 2014

This case study describes a campaign by Argos, the UK catalogue retailer, which used social media and TV to capitalise on a national conversation surrounding the birth of a royal baby. View Summary

This case study describes a campaign by Argos, the UK catalogue retailer, which used social media and TV to capitalise on a national conversation surrounding the birth of a royal baby.

Brand characters - the 'Argos Aliens' - were used to engage audiences and promote the company's nursery range.

The campaign started with a TV ad shortly after the birth of the royal baby, congratulating new mums and dads.

On social media the campaign included inviting audiences to help name the Alien family's new baby, with results playing in TV ads the following week.

This approach built on the parallel conversations happening nationally surrounding the birth and naming of the new royal baby.

There were over 20,000 mentions on the #NameOurBaby Twitter hashtag with 80% positive sentiment, and promoted tweets reached almost 25 million impressions with a 3.04% engagement rate.

12

Family Dollar solves the value equation: Quality, social recommendation and local understanding

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Stephen Whiteside, Event Reports, IRI Summit, March 2014

This event report explains how for Family Dollar, the US discount retailer, 'value' is more about quality and experience than price. View Summary

This event report explains how for Family Dollar, the US discount retailer, 'value' is more about quality and experience than price. Despite a low-income customer profile, research has found that Family Dollar's customers focus on product quality and reliability in purchasing decisions as they cannot afford to take a risk on products that may not work. These consumers also value a personal touch when shopping, such as being known by name in stores they visit regularly. Word of mouth is an important focus for the company's marketing efforts as customers increasingly rely on recommendation, especially through social media: around 45% of Family Dollar customers rely on feedback from friends and family for even low-cost purchases.

This event report discusses the ways in which digital technologies can help brands understand changing consumer behaviour. View Summary

This event report discusses the ways in which digital technologies can help brands understand changing consumer behaviour. As one of the simpler possibilities, Debenhams, the department store chain, has utilised its Design Team online community to track purchase behaviour, collect customer feedback and monitor emerging trends. At the other end of the spectrum, GlaxoSmithKline, the pharma giant, has established a high-tech shopper insights centre that uses everything from virtual reality stores to biometric testing to conduct in-depth research at the most granular level.

14

Sam's Club Mobile 3.0: Apps for Android and iPhone

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MMA Smarties, Silver, MMA Smarties, 2013

This case study describes how Sam's Club, a US retail warehouse club, developed its mobile strategy in order to engage customers with the brand further. View Summary

This case study describes how Sam's Club, a US retail warehouse club, developed its mobile strategy in order to engage customers with the brand further.

The app also allowed customers to scan items in-store and purchase them via mobile.

This delivered increases in sales and membership renewals.

15

La Sirena: Fashion Attack

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Cannes Creative Lions, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2013

La Sirena, a retailer in the Dominican Republic, aimed to reposition its clothing as more fashionable and desirable with this campaign. View Summary

La Sirena, a retailer in the Dominican Republic, aimed to reposition its clothing as more fashionable and desirable with this campaign. It needed to present the goods as trendy, and as a less expensive alternative to designer clothes. Activations at fashion industry events - such as the nation's Fashion Week - were the key part of the campaign strategy; activity was backed up by a mobile and Facebook app and earned media - whether by seeding viral videos online or via a guerilla poster campaign. The Fashion Week effort raised La Sirena's clothing sales by 12.45%, exceeding the target of 3%, while social media fans for the brand increased by 620%.

16

John Lewis: Harnessing the selling power of emotion

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Cannes Creative Lions, Winner, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2013

With this campaign, John Lewis, a UK retailer, used emotional TV advertising to maintain sales in tough economic times. View Summary

With this campaign, John Lewis, a UK retailer, used emotional TV advertising to maintain sales in tough economic times. The company decided to take a new approach to its marketing in 2009, after the financial crisis had hit the British economy and retail sector hard. The overall aims of the campaign were to increase spending among existing customers and recruit new customers. The emotional direction the campaign took was based on research showing the importance of emotional affinity to customer loyalty. Ads were focused on Christmas, generally the most lucrative time of the year for retailers. Commercials were relatively long (60 seconds plus) and were soundtracked by popular songs. By Christmas 2012, the third year of the campaign, total communications awareness had doubled and awareness of the TV ads had increased almost sixfold. It also generated huge earned media support: the advertising equivalent value of this coverage is over £4.2m. Tracking research revealed that the ads got a stronger emotional response than normal retail advertising. And Christmas sales grew by at least +7.6% year on year from 2009, reaching a high of +13% in 2012.

17

Retail engagement: Macy's mixes shopping and entertainment

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Stephen Whiteside, Event Reports, MMA Forum, May 2013

This report reveals how Macy's, the US department store retailer, is embracing a range of new channels and media partnerships to engage shoppers and customers in a changing retail world, with a particular emphasis on entertainment. View Summary

This report reveals how Macy's, the US department store retailer, is embracing a range of new channels and media partnerships to engage shoppers and customers in a changing retail world, with a particular emphasis on entertainment. The report is based on an address at the MMA Forum in New York by Jennifer Kasper, whose responsibilities at the company include digital and new media. Mobile initiatives began in 2011 with 'Backstage Pass', enabling shoppers to scan in-store QR codes to access hints and tips from leading designers. This has since developed to cover partnerships with brands like Bobbi Brown, the cosmetics specialist. Store staff are also equipped with mobile devices enabling customers to pay away from fixed checkouts. To leverage the multiscreening trend, Macy's has aligned itself with several TV shows. These include NBC's 'Fashion Star', during which viewers can buy the apparel on the show in real time, and TLC's What Not to Wear, during which the fashion-expert presenter answers Macy's customers' questions via social channels like Twitter, supported by a wider team of trained respondents.

18

Kmart (Australia): 1000 Mums

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ARF Ogilvy Awards, Gold, International, 2013

This campaign, from retailer Kmart in Australia, aimed both to improve quality perceptions and promote the company's low prices. View Summary

This campaign, from retailer Kmart in Australia, aimed both to improve quality perceptions and promote the company's low prices.

It was grounded in a research project, which suggested the creation of an integrated earned, owned and paid media strategy.

The creative idea was to film a real-life shopping experiment: the company invited 1,000 mothers come to a Kmart store on one evening to sample the store and its products, then guess the price of the everyday items – toasters, t-shirts, jeans, microwaves and so on.

Ads highlighted the participants' surprise when the actual prices were revealed.

Post-campaign data shows that Kmart increased share during the campaign's first festive period.

In this article, Jennifer Kasper, group vice president, digital media and multicultural marketing, at Macy's, the department store group, discusses how it leverages traditional and digital channels to enhance its annual Thanksgiving Parade. View Summary

In this article, Jennifer Kasper, group vice president, digital media and multicultural marketing, at Macy's, the department store group, discusses how it leverages traditional and digital channels to enhance its annual Thanksgiving Parade. She argues that through a mixture of applications, emotional ads, branded content and consumer engagement schemes, the organisation has managed to ensure this event mixes old-time values with the latest thinking.

20

Experiencia Gourmet Corporate Identity

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Design Business Association, Bronze, Design Effectiveness Awards 2013

El Puerto de Liverpool, the largest department store chain in Mexico, had tried on a number of occasions to create gourmet food halls within its stores. View Summary

El Puerto de Liverpool, the largest department store chain in Mexico, had tried on a number of occasions to create gourmet food halls within its stores.

These were met with little success, with sales only accounting for approximately 2% of total store sales.

However, after its more upmarket competitor, El Palacio, successfully introduced its own premium food hall offering, Liverpool needed to improve its appeal to those with a greater disposable income (16-25 year-olds and more upmarket consumers).

In 2011, it introduced another food hall - Experiencia Gourmet.

Its brand story and name set up Liverpool's buyers as gourmet food experts, while its premium identity was also designed to be accessible.

From launch, Experiencia Gourmet delivers between 14-35% of total store sales on a daily basis.

Additionally, its own-label bottled water now outsells Coca-Cola's Ciel brand, despite being twice the price.

Experiencia Gourmet has also improved sales in Liverpool's home furnishings department.

Canadian discount retail chain Zellers faced the unique challenge of trying to achieve a strong Christmas season following the announcement of its buy-out by a rival American chain (Target). View Summary

Canadian discount retail chain Zellers faced the unique challenge of trying to achieve a strong Christmas season following the announcement of its buy-out by a rival American chain (Target). This meant it had excess stock, its marketing budget had been slashed and profitability was given priority, meaning it could not compete by slashing prices. It needed to shift goods at regular prices, communicate about the forthcoming liquidation and maintain a positive brand image. Due to budget limitations, Facebook was the main channel for a campaign that engaged consumers by inviting them to choose their own coupons, vote for the in-store music, among other things. Zellers gained 66,000 Facebook fans and achieved a 2.5% overall sales increase, lifting profitability by 16%.

Spanish telecom company Telefónica wanted to create a Halloween event in its flagship store in Madrid in order to double visitor numbers for the period and to increase relevance and engagement among 18 to 25-year-old consumers. View Summary

Spanish telecom company Telefónica wanted to create a Halloween event in its flagship store in Madrid in order to double visitor numbers for the period and to increase relevance and engagement among 18 to 25-year-old consumers.

It created a 27sqm blackout room and commissioned horror film director Miguel Vivas to produce three exclusive short films to be projected inside the room.

The event was publicised during two weeks prior to Halloween and resulted in over 10,000 people pre-booking to experience the film.

The promotion was so successful the viewings were extended from six to 12 hours per day, and footfall increased ten-fold during each day of the promotion.

In mid-2009 John Lewis, the UK department store retail chain, was struggling in a challenging financial climate. View Summary

In mid-2009 John Lewis, the UK department store retail chain, was struggling in a challenging financial climate. Its existing advertising was ineffective and a new approach was required. A bold decision to use highly emotional advertising, particularly on TV, generated a huge amount of interest in the brand. It resulted in more shoppers, visiting its stores more frequently and increased the average spend. The campaign generated £1074m of incremental sales and £261m of incremental profit in two years. Thousands of its employee-partners also benefited as the profitability of John Lewis communications boosted their annual bonuses.

24

Myer and the challenges facing Australian retail

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John Davidson, Event Reports, Marketing Week Australia, August 2012

The retail industry needs to work more closely with the marketing sector and become more customer-centric to successfully adapt to the brave new world of online shopping, according to Australian retailer Myer's Patrick Rechsteiner, who spoke at Marketing Week 2012 in Adelaide. View Summary

The retail industry needs to work more closely with the marketing sector and become more customer-centric to successfully adapt to the brave new world of online shopping, according to Australian retailer Myer's Patrick Rechsteiner, who spoke at Marketing Week 2012 in Adelaide. Many Australian consumers are heading overseas for their retail needs and Rechsteiner offers examples of how big domestic retailers can improve their online offering, such as letting customers customise products. Spanish retailer Zara is highlighted as a successful example of vertical integration.